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Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers has earned himself millions of dollars based on his excellent play in 2012-13 (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Only thirty-five days ago, Indiana Hoosiers junior guard Victor Oladipo was projected as a late first round/early second round 2013 NBA Draft pick. DraftExpress, run by its President, Jonathan Givony, penciled Oladipo in as a late first round selection, while the popular NBADraft.net was not as optimistic, suggesting that Oladipo would leave school early only to be selected near the top of the second round.

Today, as Victor Oladipo and the nationally second ranked (according to the Associated Press) Indiana Hoosiers (25-5) get ready to battle the seventh ranked Michigan Wolverines (25-5) at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Oladipo is much more well regarded by scouts and NBA Draft prognosticators. He is almost surely to be a Lottery Pick. In only a month's time, DraftExpress has moved Oladipo to a projected eighth overall pick, while NBADraft.net pushed him from the second round to being the ninth selection overall.

Oladipo is now the center of attention on a very talented Indiana Hoosiers basketball team, and has even drawn associations to the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade for his style of play. He is averaging almost fourteen points per game, along with six rebounds and two assists in what is a very competitive Big 10 basketball conference. The most impressive statistic is probably Oladipo's sixty-three percent (63%) shooting percentage from the field, which is uncharacteristic for a guard. It seems like with every game that is played, Victor Oladipo's draft stock rises, inching him closer to the top of the NBA Draft where his teammate, Cody Zeller, is projected to be taken.

The increased attention paid to Victor Oladipo may generate additional marketing dollars for the guard leading up to the NBA Draft, but more importantly, his rise in draft stock will undoubtedly result in more money and greater job security for the Indiana basketball player at the next level. If Oladipo would have been a top of the second round draft pick (as suggested by NBADraft.net only one month ago), he would not have automatically received a guaranteed salary. There is no mandatory rookie scale for second round draft picks in the NBA.

Assume Oladpio ends up being the fifth pick in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft. In 2012, the fifth pick in the second round was Draymond Green, a Big 10 player who showcased his skills at Michigan State. Green was drafted by the Golden State Warriors and received a three year, $2.64 million contract, with a base of $850,000 in 2012.

If Oladipo maneuvered his way into the bottom of the first round (as projected by DraftExpress in the past), he would receive two-years of guaranteed money along with two years of team options. Marquis Teague was taken with the second-to-last pick of the first round in 2012. The guard from Kentucky received two-years of guaranteed money ($1.93 million) with the Chicago Bulls and was paid a base salary of $857,000 in 2012.

Oladipo's outstanding 2012-13 season is likely to earn the guard millions of extra dollars throughout the term of his fist NBA contract, if in fact, he has been able to climb up draft boards as quickly as draft experts have assumed. If Oladipo is the eighth overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, he will earn a base salary of $2.65 million in 2013 and $2.77 million in 2014. That amount is based on the general tendency of NBA teams providing first round picks with one-hundred-twenty percent (120%) of the slotted value stipulated by the rookie salary scale.

Thus, even if Oladipo was given the benefit of the doubt and received the better of the two draft grades published a month ago and referenced in this article, yet ends up being the eighth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, that would equate to a roughly $3.5 million increase over the first two years of his initial professional contract based on his superb play in 2012-13. There is still more basketball to be played. With each game, Victor Oladipo could be earning himself hundreds of thousands of dollars.